Ada Louise Huxtable on the destruction of the NYPL's incredible stacks: "This is a plan devised out of a profound ignorance of or willful disregard for not only the library's original concept and design, but also the folly of altering its meaning and mission and compromising its historical and architectural integrity. You don't 'update' a masterpiece. 'Modernization' may be the most dangerously misused word in the English language." [WSJ]

Oral History of the Beatrice Inn in New York Magazine: they didn't look very happy in those pictures, did they? While you are remembering the Beatrice Inn when it was a cozy neighborhood restaurant with interesting people, you can also remember when New York Magazine started up with the writers from the defunct New York Herald Tribune. Different times alright.

That's kind of depressing. No matter how low-rent gnawing working poor soul eating poverty while I feed my kids still more mac'n'cheese I could always say to myself "Well, at least I got two books in the stacks at the New York Public Library". I'm sure no one ever checks them out.